Desolate
by Hollow Reckoning
Summary: The Sentients were not the first civilization to make roads. There are other tracks, fossils left behind in pockets of our dimension for us to drive and study-by a race beyond our comprehension. When an excavation leaves half of Battle Force 5 stranded in these realms, they must unlock the secrets of these tracks, or else wander them for eternity. [remake of Dissolution]
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: _I do not own Hot Wheels: Battle Force 5._

**Warning:** This work will contain adult language and depictions of sex, violence, and other adult themes. It is intended for _mature_ audiences.

Note: This is a remake of the old gore/horror fiction known as Dissolution (of which I am the author). While more tame than Dissolution, Desolate is still _adult reading_. Since I am writing, this story will also contain elements of other Hot Wheels films and a complex non-canon background. While advised, knowledge of the World Race and AcceleRacers timelines will not be necessary to understand some of the content.  


* * *

A single cruiser entered the Sentient atmosphere. It was grand, larger than any structure on the planet, but dwarfed in comparison to the rest of the armada. These ships gathered around the world in a force so suddenly, just moments after their latest war was won, and left no room for proper celebration.

The Council knew the origins of the ship just by the design of the single carrier. The symmetrical, circular, ship of light was a messenger, and the armada was its escort. They knew they had no reason to worry.

The Wise Ones were here.

* * *

A private meeting hall was immediately arranged. The four Sentients were all relatively young, and knew little of the species except that they were superior in every way.

The Wise Ones had achieved perfect harmony due to a deep and well-practiced theological and psychological understanding of their species. Evidence of their technological might was spread across the universe in theories and portals connecting to their hidden society. They were even beyond the requirement for speech, able to transmit their thoughts to anyone with a strong enough mind.

All five visitors descended from the ship with impossible grace, their movements fluid and silent. They did not move their mouths or walk. They floated quietly in a line towards the hall, catching the four Sentients off guard when they entered.

"We apologize," Sage, the youngest of them all meekly addressed them, "We do not have a proper meeting place established for your visit. Had we known you were coming-"

A woman with a thin, elegant frame held her hand up, shook her head, and smiled. She seemed to be young, but older than a few of her companions. _It is quite alright. We will not be long._

A younger female agreed. _We have a message for one of you. _Her eyes were narrow and focused, her speech direct.

The Sentients stopped what they were doing and stared at each other, puzzled. Boralis nodded to Korosivasj, who took on immediately to his guess. She looked at Karmakaris, who exchanged a glance with Sage. The Blue Sentient nodded to her taller, male friend and stepped forward. Korosivasj stepped back, knowing she had to give Sage some space. Boralis and Karmakaris did the same.

"I am afraid you are too late. Your champion has returned to Earth."

One of the aliens blinked, mildly surprised. He was the second tallest, but clearly the oldest member. It was quite surprising that he did not talk.

The male next to him was muscular and had a wide jaw. He stepped forward and elaborated. _Then the message shall be given to you._

The first female joined him at his side, hands folded in front of her. She was almost motherly as she spoke, but very different from her male companion. _Before we tell you, understand that anything we say to you is for you only. Your friends will not hear us. It will be up to you who possesses this knowledge._

_You cannot change the message or its consequences_, the younger alien informed.

_For if you do, you will be participating in a grander trial than your whole race could survive, _the male warned them.

_Knowing this, Council Sage, do you accept?_

Saying no would do her no good. Dismissing the existence of something was delusional and poisoning; and as a Sentient, she could never allow such doubts to cloud her mind. However, they knew all of this and still gave her a choice. Perhaps they were too kind, even for her to understand.

"Yes," she replied, the words right and true.

The final member of the five walked up, a young male wearing a visibly different suit. As he walked, translucent markings shifted different colors and sections of a golden ring orbited over his chest. His golden visor parted, and a grim frown was displayed on his cold, grey face. Then he held up a single hand and projected a familiar and terrifying image.

_The rebirth is at hand. And we are powerless to stop it._


	2. Chapter 1

**Desolate**

The war had been over for a year now. The anniversary party was supposed to take place that evening, but that all depended on whether the Council was in session.

Vert Wheeler was the only human member of the Council of Five, as well as the leader of the Battle Force 5. Both these made his opinions and his position very important to the Council. His thoughts were valued and considered by the other Sentients, who at times grew curious of the human culture, leading to overnight discussion on food, politics, technology, and just about everything on "God's green Earth." These days Vert would come home, tired, and say how he had a long night.

"But I can't complain," he would shrug, wandering through the kitchen at early hours. "It's important work."

"Important, my ass," Stanford would say. Vert was too tired to correct him, but always gave a solemn nod of acknowledgement. Stanford never learned whether it was an agreement or a subtle way of Vert's to fuck off.

His teammates found it strange that Vert wouldn't complain-either of Stanford's remarks or the discussions. He said that the Sentients meant no harm in asking questions. For some time, Sage had done the same with Battle Force 5, asking about customs and habits which seemed bizarre to the Blue Sentient. She never understood the why of some things, but she understood the what, which seemed to be good enough for her. But with three different Sentients that were new to Vert's presence, he would often have to thoroughly explain some things twice or more.

This took time, but even then not nearly as long as the normal discussions. At times Vert would come back at night. Others, not until the next morning. Sometimes, he wouldn't be back for two or three days. Once, he did not come back for a whole week.

Even though their leader urged them to have the party without him (he called in advance between discussions), it was a celebration of their victory as a team. Without their leader, they were simply not a full team; no amount of streamers or unhealthy fats and sugar could change that, despite AJ's and Spinner's efforts.

Agura decided to not wait up for Vert and let the guys pig out as much as they wanted. There was no point in starving anyone; the food wouldn't last long either way.

This allowed Spinner to help himself to as much ice cream as he wanted. Agura and Sherman watched the older Cortez with gross fascination. Sherman said he was going to make sure Spinner didn't go overboard, but he wanted to make sure Agura was okay.

"It must be hard," Sherman said thoughtfully. "I miss him, but not as much as you."

Agura nodded."It can't be helped," she admitted. "It was like this back home. Mom and dad were working hard for me and my brothers. We were all pretty much the same age, and even though we all had jobs, it got hard to keep enough food in the house."

Sherman looked from his gorging brother to the woman's distant smile. "I'm sorry," he apologized.

"Don't be. With three teenagers and three younger ones in the house at once, I was surprised we always had something to eat, especially since I was the only girl" she chuckled. "I was able to save up enough to move out to the states. I still write now and then, but it's not the same, you know?" She smiled when Spinner grasped his head in pain, then shook it off like a wet dog. "There's always something you leave behind."

The larger man agreed, "We had five other siblings at home. Most of them are pretty young, still. The oldest is thirteen, I think. I miss them every now and then; even all the excitement around here is hard to match up to the whole Cortez family."

They shared a few laughs.

Agura stretched herself against the couch, long and cat-like. "Yeah. It's always the little things, huh?"

Sherman nodded. Just as he was about to share something, Spinner yelped in pain, and dramatically fainted with a spoon in his hand. The younger brother rolled his eyes and got off the couch.

"I'll go peel him off the floor before his brain is frozen on the carpet," he joked.

The huntress half-yawned, stood up, and drifted towards the hall. "Good idea. Think I'll get some air."

When Agura turned out towards the lift, her communicator beeped once and flashed red. When she checked her watch, the young woman quickly skimmed through her new message. Then she took off for the Hub's main floor, dropped one level, and entered the dark cavern.

The cold salt flats rock under Vert's garage served as the location of their base, and the garage itself was in the middle of the Handler Corners salt flats. In all, it was a perfect hideout for an inter-dimensional response team of (mostly) teenage drivers. They all had their own bedrooms (Agura her own bathroom, too) and used the public spaces. The main floor was good for vehicle repairs and briefings before or after missions.

But it was creepy with all the lights out. The lights were motion-activated (energy efficient, Sage explained once) and flickered on when Agura stepped off the lift and towards her vehicle.

The Tangler was a massive, green ATV. Its main body was a caged cockpit attached to its engine and basic components. From there the vehicle branched off into four spider-like limbs, each with a wheel. The wheels could be remotely switched to giant claws with retractable blades, useful for grabbing or grappling onto almost anything solid.

Agura was mindful of the wheels as she climbed into her vehicle. Clothes could easily be torn if they caught on. Spinner learned this when he tried to scare away Agura's hiccups and got one of his belt loops stuck on a wheel. When Agura tested the hydraulics, the blades ripped through Spinner's pants and exposed his 'gamer-wear'. Agura didn't feel like having her good jacket destroyed the same way, much less her sweatpants.

She climbed in safe, started up the Tangler, and drove out of the Hub on her ramp. A few seconds later, she was out on the salt flats and headed out about a mile towards the mesa, checking her communicator for any changes.

The woman pulled over when a blue portal spiraled out of the air and Vert rolled onto the flats. He reached his arm back and pulled the portal's key into his hand, closing it. Moonlight danced off the translucent details of his red and blue battle suit and reflected off Agura's windshield as she opened up.

"Need a lift?" she smirked.

Vert studied the key for a moment, then climbed up one of the Tangler's limbs. He reached into the cockpit, handed her the key, and shared a kiss with her. He smiled once they broke off.

"If you don't mind me on top," he said, pointing to the top of her carriage.

Agura laughed, "You're so lucky the guys aren't here. I can hear Spinner now..."

"Is the party over?" he asked casually.

Agura shook her braids loose and re-tied her bun while thinking, "Tezz and Stanford already went back to their rooms." She paused, and strapped the ball of hair between two bands. "If the others aren't cleaning up, they're probably heading to bed. Am I good?"

The huntress bent her head forward.

"Perfect," he said.

"Alright, then. Back to the Hub?"

Vert paused as he climbed out of the cockpit. He shook his head, "No, head to the garage instead. There's something I wanted to show you."

"Okay. Closing it now," she warned him. Vert backed away from the small lift and climbed on top of the Tangler's body. The ATV hummed back to life and prowled quietly back to Vert's garage.

When their leader returned from the Sentient home world, it was normally at unexpected hours and often without the Saber. Agura always picked him up, though; she wouldn't ever let him walk home again. When he was at the Hub, he almost never stayed at the Hub for more than a night's rest and a few calm hours with Agura.

They enjoyed falling asleep together with nothing more than their underwear between bare skin and cold air. But together they were never cold. Vert was a California coastline. His skin was sandy to the touch, his hair was like the sun in her dim bedroom light, and his eyes were ocean blue. And he was warm.

Agura asked him where he grew up. Vert said he was born and raised in military housing. His house was on the coast, so he could easily wake up early to surf. But he never said he was from California, and when she asked, his blue eyes became cold and sad.

They were sad as they arrived, as he led her up a stairwell to the garage roof, and as he sat down on the ledge, overlooking the salt flats. Agura joined him, trying to keep her eyes focused with his. She could see millions of stars and half the moon across the horizon. The mesa and its surrounding rock formations stuck out, too. There were just so many choices; she wasn't sure what he was looking at.

"So, what was it you wanted to show me?"

Vert nodded and touched his modified communicator. Its screen projected a foot in front of them, cast over the landscape. In the footage, a white portal flickered, scrolling through images of floating or fixed tracks surrounded by fantastic environments. When a Sentient approached, the portal closed, and the camera briefly recorded slanted ruins with monuments of aliens and a single, spinning sphere over what seemed to be a small temple.

After a replay, Vert explained, "An excavation team found these ruins under an old Sentient dig site. One of their vehicles fell through the floor of the main dig and found that. The Council went to see it, but when I got close, that portal opened. The archaeologists think there's a connection, and here's the kicker."

He paused and showed Agura a still image. It was a set of symbols in a language that was definitely not Sentient.

"What is that?"

After some hesitation, "My name."

Agura looked at if for a bit longer. Then she turned towards Vert and shook her head. "Um, I'm not sure, but I don't think that says Vert Wheeler?"

Vert replied, "It says Crimson One. And right next to that, 'Wheel' and 'Man'."

Agura finally shook her head. Ancient ruins, symbols, portals; none of it made sense. "Why are you telling me about this?"

"Whatever this portal or these ruins are, I have something to do with it. I'll be going back tomorrow morning, and just in case, the Council wanted me to bring the team with. I'm not supposed to tell them about this weird...connection," he sighed and shut off his communicator. "It could be nothing, but I wanted you to know. You know, if something does happen... Can you hold out your hand for a second?"

As Agura held it out, Vert pulled something out from around his neck. It was a small ring, attached to a chain. Agura watched, curious, as he neatly wrapped it and slid it gently into her palm. He closed his hands over it, closing her hand too.

"Keep this safe, no matter what happens. Can you do that for me?"

Before Agura could answer, a metal crash came from the door. As Vert pulled away his hands, they looked to see Spinner, Zoom, and AJ in that order in a pile on the ground. Sherman made eye contact with Agura from the door behind them and shrugged an apology.

"Get. Off," Zoom told AJ.

Spinner choked out an agreement of some kind. Agura thought it sounded like "crushing me".

She pocketed the ring and walked forward. She helped Sherman pull AJ off Zoom and Spinner, who both quickly tried running away. Sherman and AJ's big arms blocked the doorway, forcing them to turn around to face Agura. Her arms were crossed, and she made it very clear they had been intruding.

"Sorry," Spinner feebly apologized. He was trying to hide his embarrassment, but Agura could easily whiff it out of the air.

"We thought you and Vert were up here. Guess you were just getting some air," Zoom shrugged, sorrier than Spinner.

Agura did a quick double take. Vert was nowhere to be seen. Maybe he'd slipped out in the confusion? He couldn't have jumped without being seen or heard. And he had definitely been there with her. The ring was just as heavy in her pocket as before in her palm, and there was no way anyone could have slipped it on her.

"Guess so," she muttered. When they didn't move, she said louder, "Well, that's enough of lurking on rooftops. Come on everyone, bedtime."

She shooed the smaller drivers down the stairwell. Sherman followed them, to make sure they wouldn't trip on the way down. While they went, Agura checked her pocket again, to find the same ring wrapped in chain.

"What's that?" AJ asked, smiling.

She stared at it for a bit longer. When she heard an "oomph" on the stairs, she put the ring back and pushed past AJ. "A promise," was all she said, before disappearing into the building.


	3. Chapter 2

"Hurry up, would you?" Stanford pounded on the door. "Some of us have royal treatments to get on with before we can start our day!"

The Brit had only been waiting for two minutes and he was already impatient. Waiting a few seconds was understandable to him; he wouldn't want to have to leave a bathroom without at least being decent. But a few minutes was outrageous! Stanford never had to wait back home, since he had his own bathroom; but the one he was waiting for was a designated men's room, and no man should have been taking more than a few minutes in any situation.

Just as Stanford considered checking the lock, the door slid open. Out walked their resident Russian electromagnetism expert, Tezz, who calmly veered around Stanford in his normal-and quite dry-clothes.

"Whoa, hang on now," Stanford caught up with him. "Why did you take so bloody long in there? You didn't even bathe!"

The scientist corrected him, "I washed myself twenty three minutes ago and ate something for breakfast. I was flossing my top premolars when you began to abuse the door."

Stanford recoiled, "You were flossing your _teeth _in there? It shouldn't take that long!"

"Four minutes and thirteen seconds is not a long period of time for flossing teeth, Stanford. In fact, it is quite short. On any note, I suggest you perform your daily shower and hair gel routine. The captain has requested our presence on the main floor at seven-o-clock precisely."

"Oh, so he decides to show up out of nowhere and suddenly act like he can order us around still?" Stanford crossed his arms, prepared for a thorough rant. "Well if you ask me, that's-"

Zoom dashed between them, "Sorry, man! Gotta go!" Then he turned into the bathroom and shut the door. Stanford felt his veins and arteries practically surge against his skin as his blood pressure shot up, rushing red to his ears.

"I can't believe that little-"

Tezz cut in, "To be fair, you were wasting time."

"Oh, shut up," Stanford finally groaned, and stormed off to find another bathroom.

Tezz's communicator flashed once. The young man realized it was nearly five minutes to seven, and Stanford had also been wasting his time. Even so, he walked slowly. When he stepped onto the lift, he began to wonder precisely what it was Vert needed to see them for.

Despite the amount of time spent with the Council, Vert was still the leader of their small group and therefore had the rightful authority to ask them to a meeting. But like Stanford said, Vert had appeared very suddenly and without warning. Even Agura, his partner, had seemed confused when he asked her about it that morning; Tezz found that odd, considering the amount of time they spent together. Surely Agura would have been the first to know about Vert's purpose for this morning's meeting?

The scientist refocused on the Hub around him when he arrived in its center. AJ and Agura were already waiting with Vert, and all of them were awkwardly silent. Tezz was aware of his other teammates' thoughts, so he focused on the captain.

There was something strange about Vert this morning. His eyes drifted to different structures of the Hub, as if he was lost in thought. Tezz found this unusual, because although Vert did have much to think about, he normally did so without moving, or while focused on a single object; which meant the man was worried.

When Tezz began to wonder what Vert could possibly worry about, the rest of their team began to arrive. Spinner and Sherman, Zoom, and Stanford-in order-formed a semi-circle across from them just short of seven.

"Now that we're all here," Stanford's jarred voice brought Vert to attention, "will you finally let us know, oh all powerful leader, what the bloody hell we're doing here at seven in the morning?"

"Stanford," Agura started.

Tezz could see her angry brown eyes when Vert cut in. "It's fine, Agura." Her face relaxed, but she kept staring at Stanford. "Sage wants us to attend a Sentient excavation. They uncovered some alien tech but don't know what it does. If something happens, she wants us there to protect the dig team."

"Oh," Stanford sighed, somewhat leveled by the rational explanation. "Well, you could have let us know right away instead of asking to see all of us at nearly the crack of dawn."

"It's two after seven in the middle of June," Sherman told him. Dawn was just over an hour ago.

"Hey, some of us like sleeping in," Spinner nudged his brother.

Vert craned his head back towards Stanford, eyes tired as he addressed the Brit, "I didn't get home until after the party yesterday. I thought it would be nice to let you guys sleep in a little instead of waking you up to hang around some old ruins."

Tezz watched the angry lines vanish from Stanford's face. The British man was absurdly prideful, so Tezz wasn't surprised that Stanford didn't apologize.

"Well, that was nice of you," he half-muttered. "I suppose."

Vert shrugged and raised his head. "We head out in ten. Sage wants us all there, but if anyone's got a good reason to stay, let me know."

"Alright, everyone, you heard him. Move out!" Agura ordered.

As the team scattered to suit up-himself included-Tezz approached her while replaying their briefing in his mind's eye. Several things had set off his 'Sherlock skills' as Sherman dubbed them.

First was the limited interaction between Vert and Agura. They spent most of their free time together, so it was unnatural for them to be so distant. This could have meant a variety of things, from an argument to a breakup, or even bad sex. (Stanford explained the supposed importance of successful sexual interactions, regarding pleasure or purpose. While confused when it came to fetishes, roleplaying, and several deviant acts he could not remember the names of, Tezz understood the basic idea that good sex could enhance a relationship.) But Tezz decided it was an issue that was simply none of his business.

His second observation was the captain's strange physical behavior. He sat through the whole briefing, moving only his head and eyes to address the whole team. Tezz would have attributed this to the constant trans-dimensional traveling from Earth to the Sentient world, but Vert didn't look tired. If anything, Tezz would say the man was ready to jump if provoked, a behavior bordering on paranoia. In addition, Vert moved his line of sight often, almost twitching his eyes back and forth-if they weren't wandering to look at some part of the Hub. It was all too passive for an alpha male such as Vert.

And last, it was how Agura looked at Vert during the briefing. She hid it well, but in her eyes Tezz saw genuine worry mixed with confusion. It wasn't the type of concern from a lover to another; it was from a friend to another. And if Agura was concerned about Vert outside of their relationship, then something was very wrong.

Vert was up the lift by the time Tezz got over to Agura.

"Agura, I would like to talk to you about the captain."

"Not here," she answered. Agura instructed him, "Follow me to the rec room. Act like there's nothing wrong. I don't want anyone to freak out."

Tezz simply kept quiet as they walked. They went unnoticed through the halls and went into the rec room on the second floor. Tezz did not go there often, unless he wanted to sample some of the team's drinks or snacks. He was honestly bewildered by the amount of calories a single chip contained for what little nutritional value it offered-especially compared to the other starch and sugar products stocked in the cabinets and refrigerator.

The scientist narrowly avoided a small, flattened chocolate cake with a cream filling on the floor and entered the room. There were a few wrappers on the floor near scattered chairs. Agura pulled one away from the television and sat down to face Tezz. She gestured him to sit down, but he shook his head.

"I am good. However, it would seem Vert is not."

The huntress sighed, "Look, I wish I could tell you what was wrong, but even I don't know. Ever since he got home around midnight he's been...off. He barely looks anyone in the eye, and he didn't sleep. Normally he's so tired he passes out as soon as he's on a bed. But he was awake all night, brooding up on the roof about who knows what."

"If this concerns your relationship, I apologize for asking-"

Agura continued, "That's just it. It doesn't. It's about this excavation we're heading off to." She paused, groaning, "Oh, I shouldn't say this, but it'll kill me later, I just know it. Tezz, we're not heading there to protect the dig team; the Council wants us to protect Vert."

"Go on?" Tezz was intrigued, and sat in the chair opposite her.

"They...found something in the ruins that ties with the legend of the Crimson One. There are these hieroglyphs with 'Crimson One' on it, and a portal opened when Vert got near some part of the ruins. I don't know what any of it means, but Vert's worried. He believes that when we go there, something could happen to him. Tezz, I've never seen him this scared before about anything."

Tezz nodded after a minute. "Based on your information, it seems our best course of action would be to escort Vert to this dig site. From there we may be able to uncover some useful data about this potential threat in the excavation. I believe Spinner's and Zoom's talents will be useful in this endeavor."

"So we do some digging of our own," Agura reflected. "You're right, Tezz. I can't get anything else out of Vert, and I doubt that the Council will be any more helpful. I just hope we can figure this out before something actually does happen."

Tezz did his best to giver her a supportive grin.

Agura noticed the time and stood up to leave, "Time to go. We can fill in the others when we get there."

"If we can manage to keep this secret from the captain and the rest of the Council of Five," he reminded her.

They were back on the main floor within a few seconds. Each climbed into their own vehicle and followed the tracks out to the salt flats. Tezz and Agura quickly caught up with the other drivers. One by one they rushed through the portal, leaving Handler Corners as dark clouds began to gather from the east.


End file.
